Source: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
[Saba Sports News] Since An Se-young, the gold medalist in women’s singles at the Paris Olympics, criticized the Badminton Association after returning to her home country, her background has been closely examined by the public. Even the hardships she faced when she joined the national team were revealed by the media. It is reported that An Se-young, who was selected for the national team at the age of 15, had to do laundry, cleaning, and racket repairs for senior players for a period of seven years. This often affected her rest and training time, and even with the intervention of her parents, she couldn’t escape these extra duties. As an athlete, An Se-young complained to her parents and the Badminton Association several times, expressing that she was often disrupted by additional chores, which prevented her from getting sufficient rest after matches or training. Although the association did receive feedback from the national team, the problem remained unresolved or improved over the course of seven years. The strong dissatisfaction expressed by An Se-young towards the Badminton Association was a result of the management issues and neglect of athletes’ rights by the Korean Badminton Association, ultimately leading to her outburst against the association after winning the championship.